1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to home monitoring systems and more specifically it relates to an Internet based home communications system for allowing a homeowner to monitor and control various features of their home from a distant location via a global computer network such as the Internet.
Our society has become extremely mobile with the reduced expense and ease of travel leaving many homes unattended while the homeowner is traveling or at work. Many homeowners hire “house sitters”, friends or neighbors to either monitor or stay at their home during their absence to insure that the home is in the desired condition. Other homeowners are forced to abandon their home without any monitoring or control. Some homeowners have more than one home, such as a summer home, and must leave at least one of the homes unoccupied and unmonitored. Hence, there is a need for a home monitoring system that allows a homeowner to monitor their home from a distant location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Home monitoring systems have been in use for years. Typically, a home monitoring system is comprised of a security system that notifies the security agency when there has been a breach of security within the residence. The security agency may then call the homeowner at their place of work notifying them of the condition of their home.
However, conventional home monitoring systems do not allow the homeowner to monitor their home from a distant location. In addition, conventional home monitoring systems do not allow the homeowner to control the operations of the home from a distant location. Many homeowners are forced to purchase the services of house sitters that can be expensive and can significantly reduce the privacy most homeowners enjoy and desire to protect.
While conventional home security systems may be suitable for monitoring burglary within a home, they are not as suitable for allowing a homeowner to monitor and control various features of their home from a distant location via a global computer network. Conventional home security systems simply do not allow the homeowner to monitor the conditions of their home while in a remote location without having a third person visit their home.
In these respects, the Internet based home communications system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and functions of the prior art, and in so doing provides a system primarily developed for the purpose of allowing a homeowner to monitor and control various features of their home from a distant location via a global computer network.